Little backing to prolong French 4-day school week

Updated: 04/03/2013 5:06 AM KSTP.com

(AP) PARIS - A plan to lengthen France’s four-day school week has failed to win nationwide support, and the country’s biggest teacher’s union says fewer than a quarter of students will have the new schedule for the next academic year.

The Education Ministry wanted at least half of the country’s schools to start a 4 1/2-day week. Tuesday’s survey from the SNUipp teachers union indicates that only 22 percent of schools will do so. The other schools will keep the old schedule for at least another year.

French schools now have Wednesdays and weekends off. Officials say children have fewer class days than their counterparts in Europe or the Americas _ 144 days compared with an annual average of 187 _ but have longer days _ from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.